At the end of 2020, Cantillana approached Lybover again – this time for a series of customised modifications to an existing mixing and weighing system. And so we went to France with a dedicated team. To Cormeilles-en-Parisis, to be precise.
At the Cormeilles-en-Parisis site, concrete and mortars are produced to order for each customer. The dry river sand is stored in 4 silos with 4 different fraction sizes. The sand is in turn discharged onto a conveyor belt and weighed. Cantillana asked us to design a new system where the 4 fractions can be weighed simultaneously. The desired quantity is then transported to the mixer. This reduces waiting times to a minimum.
Time and efficiency gains through simultaneous weighing and discharging
Pieter De Meyer (Technical & Maintenance Engineer at Cantillana) explains the project: “We did not rush into this conversion. We had a clear idea in mind. In combination with a correct execution the proposed time and efficiency gains were actually achieved.
Stephen Gosiau, Project Engineer at Lybover, adds: “In order to be able to discharge the sand from the four silos simultaneously and with the weight, a weighing hopper was placed at the bottom of each silo.
The silos could not be moved, so the weigh hoppers had to find a place within the existing layout. Weigh hoppers were custom designed and manufactured at Lybover BULK in Bruges. Stephen Gosiau: “The integration of the four weigh hoppers required a series of additional modifications. The extension to the bottom of the conveyor made the existing conveyor unusable. The Lybover team designed a new conveyor belt that is constructed in such a way that the sand fractions are transported without loss and completely dust-proof. The roofing is essential to prevent water infiltration. A new elevator brings the sand mixture to the existing mixer. A custom-made buffer hopper was also installed in front of the mixer.
No production downtime thanks to optimum planning
Stephen Gosiau: “Pending the final installation and integration of the weigh hoppers, branching was made possible through holes in the silos.” As the silos had to be empty for this preparatory work, this first phase was carried out during the planned production downtime during the Christmas holidays.
Besides the integration of the weighing hoppers, the conveyor belt and the elevator, improvements were also made further down the line. For example, before the sand and cement reach the mixer, additives are added. This manual discharge point was also reviewed. An extra conveyor belt ensures the supply of additives. A final optimisation concerns a maintenance platform for the conveyor belt from the elevator to the mixer. This allows inspection and maintenance work to be carried out safely at heights without having to hire additional equipment such as an elevating work platform. In the near future Cantillana wants to start up a second mixer with the same capacity in the main building. Therefore, the weighing and transport system has been calculated to be able to supply these 2 mixers in the future. The switch from the old to the new layout will take place after the integration of the third conveyor and will not have any impact on production.